Unfortunately, just because the occupation of Pacifica Radio’s national office in Berkeley is over doesn’t mean that there aren’t troubles elsewhere in the network.
Pacifica’s WBAI-FM in New York City is facing “imminent eviction” of its transmitter from the Empire State Building. That’s according to a recently surfaced report to the Pacifica National Board from interim executive director Bernard Duncan. The Pacifica national office staff is working with WBAI to move the transmitter to a less expensive Times Square location.
The station is also holding a rent party on Saturday, July 5 to help pay for its offices at The Commons collaborative movement building space in downtown Brooklyn.
Duncan’s report also notes that at WPFW-FM, the network’s station in Washington DC, “we are working through union issues… and also legal issues related to the previous GM.” That station is considering moving studios to a new location in order to gain more space.
In Houston, KPFT-FM is still operating under “special temporary authority” (STA) because its license has not been renewed, resulting from transmitter damage incurred by a lightning strike two years ago. Duncan says the STA has been extended until late November, and the transmitter still needs to be replaced in order to obtain the full renewal.
Finally, Duncan announced that he is leaving his position as interim director on July 5 and then moving to New Zealand. National board chair Margy Wilkinson will replace him, as required by the foundation’s by-laws, although she tells the Daily Californian that she does not want the job.
Does anybody?
